What effect did Norman Schwarzkopfs temper tantrums have?
Billiere: Well, obviously Norman’s temper did curtail people’s enthusiasm to go forward with ideas and suggestions or even to question decisions that were impending. The military don’t question a decision that’s been taken, you question it before it’s been taken, that is a perfectly reasonable thing. And people were reluctant to do that with him and, I think he lost a lot of very valuable commentary as a result of that. But, on the other side of the equation, he was a man of the most immense professional capability and judgement and he had a tremendous intellect and so he could actually in many ways cope with things himself. And where a lesser man might have needed this e comment from other people he could actually make things work without it. So, perhaps there was a degree of intellectual arrogance there, if you like, but it did balance itself out in many ways. Q: Could you sum up his contribution-strengths, weaknesses? Billiere: Oh, his contribution was unique and immense. I mean he
